Rotary motor.



PATENTED 001." so, 1906. H. G. LEOPOLD. Q ROTARY MOTOR.

. APPLICATION FILED 00124, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

. A m O .Q? Z w r6 Z lllllllllllll -g lllllli wmmiin HARRY GERARDLEOPOLD, OF CINCINNATI, 'OH IO.

ROTARY MOTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 30, 1906.

Application filed October 4,1905. Serial No. 281,366.

To all whom it may concerm- Be it known that I, HARRY GERARD LEO- POLD,lieutenant-commander United States Navy, and a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State ofOhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in, RotaryMotors, Pumps, &o.; and I do hereby declare I port being provided with aplurality of foldable plstons around'its peripheral surface adapted tobe moved during their cycle of operation from theirvfolded or collapsedposition to their open or distended position, the free ends of thepistons bearing against the annular casing or an interior liningtherefor to prevent leakage therearound.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the, followingspecification, and the particular features of noveltywill be pointed outin the claims.

To more fully describe the invention, reference is had to theaccompanying drawings, illustrating an application of same, in whichFigure 1 is a side'elevation of a rotary engine, motor, or pumpembodying an application of the invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontalsectionon the line 2 2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a vertical section throughthe casingand shaft, the interior working parts being shown inelevation, with one of the pistons in section for the purpose ofillustration. Fig. 4 is a detached perspectiveview of one of thepistons. Fi 5 is a' similar view showing another met od of-paeking theside walls'of the piston. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view, inhorizontalsection, substantially similar to Fig. 2, but showing aslightly-modified construction; and Fig. 7 is afragmentary sectionalview showing a further modification in the application of an insertmember or dutchman for the interior of the casing between. the inlet andexhaust openings.

Referring toFigs. 1'00 3 for the purpose of illustration, the casing isshown as comprising the annular side plate 1, the laterally-extendingperipheral web 2, and the annular flange 3, to which latter is bolted,as shown, or otherwise suitably secured the opposite side plate 4,forming the inclosing chamber for the working parts.

Integral with the outside faces of the annular side plates 1 and 4 anddisposed eccentrically thereon are the journal-bearings 5, strengthenedby the bracing-webs 6 and provided with the usual boxes or brasses 7, inwhich is journaled the shaft 8. The apertures for the shaft 8 in theside plates 1 and 4 are of such a diameter with reference to the bear- Iings 5 that there is formed an interior annular shoulder 9, againstwhich the brasses 7 abut on one side and on the other side abuts thecentral enlargement 8 on the shaft 8, 10

designating annular bosses on the inside faces of the side plates land4, the whole forming a compact mounting for the shaft when the sideplates 1 and 4 are assembled. These side plates 1 and 4 are alsoprovided I on their outer faces with the annular bosses 11, which permitthe inside faces of the side 1 plates to be annularly recessed, as'at12, for a purpose hereinafter referred to.

The casing is also provided with the inletport' 13 and outlet-port 14,formed on the peripheral web 2, and this peripheral web is raced andsupported by the rear vertical 1 web 2 the forward web 2 and thebaseplate or support 2, all formed integral with the side plate 1.

15 is a wheel-support or disk carried by the shaft 8, and consequentlymounted eccentrically with reference to the annular cylinder or casing,and this wheel-support or disk is provided on its peripheral surfacewith fold ably-mounted pistons adapted to be collapsed and distendedduring their cycle of operation.

While by the term foldable pistons it is intended to cover any form of apiston which may be flexed into position against the inside face of thecasing, it is preferable in actual construction to pivotally secure orhinge detachablymounted pistons to the peripheral surface of thewheel-support or disk. To this end 16 designates the pistons, which areof I scoop or pan shape, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, 16 designating theconcave impact-face, and 16 the side plates thereof, which terminate inthe solid cylindrical rear portion 16, adapted to be insertedintosocketmembers 17, extending laterally of the wheel sup port or disk 15.These socket members are sufliciently deep to prevent the cylindricalportion 16 from being displaced when the various parts are in theirassembled position; but it will be readily observed that the pistons maybe connected to the wheel-support by sliding the cylindrical portion 16laterally into the socket members 17.

The outer faces of the pistons l6 are grooved to receive a suitablepacking 16 adapted to contact on inside faces of the side walls of thecylinder to prevent leakage.

18 designates a lining for the cylinder, of hard steel, which is cutaway and tapered to fit around the'inlet and exhaust openings, asclearly illustrated.

Leakage alongside the disk or rotary support 15 is prevented by means ofan annular packing-ring 19, of asbestos or other suitable material,inserted in the annular recesses 12 of the casing, (see Fig. 2,) andthese packingrings 19 may be set up against an annulus 20, formed oneach side of the wheel-support 15, thepacking being held in directcontact therewith by any suitable means, such as setscrews, augmented bysuitable springs 21, mounted within the recesses 12 between thecasing-walls and the packing-rings. It is obvious, however, that anysuitable way of interposing packing between the rotary support and thecasing may be employed, the foregoing being principally for the purposeof illustration.

The operating fluid is prevented from seeking its way from the inlet tothe exhaust except in the desired direction by so mounting the disk orwheel-support that the peripheral surface of same will lie adjacent thecylinder-casing, at the top thereof, and by continuing the inner face ofthe web 2 of the easing, as at 2, Fig. 3, concentric with thewheel-support or disk 15, forming an are or ledge at the j cinder of theinlet-port with the web 2 sufhcient to effectually prevent the passageof the working fluid in a reverse direction. This is augmented byoriginally machining the inner surface of the casing or lining therefor,so that the curved outer faces of the piston will form a snug contacttherewith, or, as illustrated in Fig. 7, by interposing a machined pieceor dutchman 22 along the inside of the casing between the inlet and theexhaust, or byfitting a spring-vane 23 ad jacent the inlet or receivingnozzle in such manner that the end of the spring-vane will projectbeyond and form a substantial continuation of the ledge 2.

In Fig. 5 is shown a slightly-modified form of the piston provided withthe water-grooves 16 in the sides to act in place of packing.

In Fig. 6 is illustrated a slightly-modified construction in which thewheel-support or disk 15 is provided with side plates or disks 15projecting beyond the wheel-support,

forming annular side rims 15 between which are disposed pistons, asheretofore described. In this construction the side disks 15 aredisposed in recesses 15 formed in the side plates of the casing, 15designating packingrings interposed between the side plates of thewheel-support and the casing.

The operation is fairly apparent from the foregoing description andillustrations, but may be briefly referred to as follows:

When the machine is employed as an enginefor instance, as a rotarysteamengineand the parts being in the position shown in Fig. 3, theintroduction of the working fluid through the inlet-port 13 will causethe fluid to impinge against the curved face 16 of the piston andinitially drive same forward by impact, and at the same time the chargeof fluid between each pair of preceding pistons will be expandingtherebetween until the exhaust-port is reached, when they dischargetherethrough. The same operation will be performed if an. explosivemixture or charge was ignited. behind the first piston. in front of theinlet-port.

It will be obvious that when the machine is to be used as a rotary pumpor blower, &c., power is applied to the shaft 18 and the direction ofrotation of the pistons reversed.

While for the purpose of illustrating a practical application of theinvention I have thus described the same, it will be understood thatmodifications might be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention, and I do not, therefore, limit myself to the precise detailsdisclosed, but

What I claim is- 1. In an expansion rotary engine or motor, thecombination with an annular casing, of a rotary disk eccentricallymounted in said casing, a plurality of pistons hinged to said disk, saidpistons com )rising scoops or pans with flat sides and packing thereforand with outer edges adapted to register with the interior of theannular casing and having their free ends adapted to swing and engagethe interior of said casing, an inlet-pipe opening into the contractedportion of the passage between said disk and said casing, and anoutlet-pipe opening outward from approximately the broadest part of saidpassage, whereby a series of expansion-chambers between the pistons issecured, substantially as described.

2. In an expansion rotary engine or motor, the combination with anannular casing, of a rotary disk eccentrically mounted in said casing, aplurality of pistons hinged to said disk, said pistons comprising scoopsor pans with flat sides and packing therefor and with outer edgesadapted to register with the interior of the annular casing and havingtheir free ends adapted to swing and engage the interior of said casing,an inlet-pipe opening tangentially into the contracted portion of thepassage between said disk and said casing, and

an outlet-pipe opening outward from approximately the broadest part ofsaid passage, whereby a series of expansion-chambers between the pistonsis secured, substantially as described. i

3. The combination with an annular casing having an inlet and an outlet,of a rotary support eccentrically mounted Within said casing, aplurality of circumferentially-disposed foldable pistons carried by saidsupport and a flexible vane adjacent said inlet and projecting in thepath of rotation of said pistons, substantially as described. q-

4. The combination with an annular casing having an inlet and outlet andprovided with recessed sidewalls, of a rotary wheelsupport, annular sideplates for said wheelsupport dISPOSGd in the annular recessed portion ofsaid casing-plates, circumferentiallydisposed foldable pistons carriedby said wheel-support between said side plates, and packing-ringsinterposed between said side plates and casing, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

HARRY GERARD LEOPOLD.

Witnesses:

W. H. BUOHER, J. S. HINEs.

